Can Diabetes Be Controlled?
This is from three studies in the latest issue of Health Affairs:
- If nothing is done, the surge in new cases of diabetes could add an estimated $512 billion to nation’s annual health care spending by the year 2021.
- Instituting a national program of community-level lifestyle interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes … within twenty-five years … would save the US health care system an estimated $5.7 billion.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of twenty-eight studies… found that a year after enrollment in lifestyle intervention programs, the average participant had lost about 4 percent of baseline body weight, an amount that may offer diabetes protection.
I was surprised to see that the national program of community-level lifestyle interventions is targeted at those below 65. Is that because investments in young folks tend to have a higher reward (reduced costs are achieved over a longer period of time)?
I doubt there is a condition that has a bigger negative impact on health than diabetes. Diet, exercise and maintaining a healthy weight is sufficient for most people with diabetes to control their condition. I understand that people can put on a few extra pounds – but I would think there would be limits to how much excess weight people allow themselves to pack on. Considering how easy it is to control, it’s hard for me to understand why diabetes is so pervasive.
I agree with Buster about there probably not being another condition with as much of a negative impact as diabetes.
Also, I imagine that hundreds of years ago diabetes was far less prevalent than it is today.
A 100 years ago insulin was unknown and most type 1 would die in 6 months. Type 2 may be lifestyle related, but insulin resistance is much more recent problem, that may or may not be obesity related. Why do we look to gov’t for a solution? How about putting the money and costs back into the patient’s hands and have them pay for their lifestyle choices and /or illnesses. Why is that never a solution?